The Doll
by SIR WHOBLE
Summary: Rey goes scavenging deep into the Starship Graveyard and gets caught in a sandstorm. [Takes place before The Force Awakens.]


Today was going to be the day that Rey tested out the speeder she built out of parts she could find around Niima outpost. It was too dangerous for Rey to trek out deep into the Starship graveyard to scavenge since she wouldn't make it back before nightfall on foot. If her speeder worked, then she could go deep into the graveyard to explore and bring back more valuable parts for a larger portion. Rey already had to trade most of her portions to get the last few parts to make her speeder work.

Rey grabbed her goggles and climbed on the speeder, ready to turn on the machine and ride out into the desert. The speeder hummed to life, and Rey began to silently squeal in excitement that she finally got it to work. Most of the others at the outpost said that she'd never get it to work, that she was too young to understand the mechanics of a speeder. Rey didn't care how loud the speeder was, she wanted them all to hear it. To prove that a simple girl like her could figure out how to build a speeder on her own.

Rey never learned how to drive anything really, but riding a speeder seemed simple enough to her. Why did people think she would need lessons to know how to drive one? They probably didn't want her to know how to drive one so they could watch her struggle with finding parts to scavenge just around the outpost.

The air blowing across her skin almost felt cool even in the hot air. It wasn't long until she found an area filled with dozens of wrecked Imperial ships that have been there since way before Rey was born. Rey rode up to the closest one and decided to start there, grabbing her net she set off into what she had been told was called a Star Destroyer. She never figured out why they were called that though. The ship sure didn't look like it could destroy any star.

Once Rey found enough parts to fill her net, she headed back to her speeder and loaded up the parts. She was going to ride back to the outpost, but the sight of a small pilot's ship caught her eye so she rode over to investigate. It was an X-wing half buried in the sand with the top open. Rey peered inside to see the skeletal remains of the pilot that appeared to have been chewed on.

The pilot's suit was in tatters, so Rey nabbed a piece of fabric that didn't look too bad. What really got Rey excited was the Pilot's helmet laying in the lap of the remains. Rey felt the wind begin to pick up and looked in the direction the wind was coming from. A sandstorm was moving in, so she grabbed the helmet and ran back to her speeder. The speeder wasn't fast enough to go against the storm, so Rey stopped at the ruins of a AT-AT that looked suitable enough to protect her from the storm.

Rey found the entrance and shut the hatch tight before the sand could start flying in. Naturally, no one would inform her of the massive sandstorm they day she finally gets her speeder to work. Someone was probably hoping that Rey would die out in the storm so they could steal her speeder and whatever parts she managed to scavenge.

The AT-AT was pitch dark except for the small holes that let light shine through. There wasn't much sand in there, so the holes shouldn't be a problem. Rey didn't realize that she still had the pilot's helmet on her head an the fabric in her hand. She headed over to the small areas of light to take a closer look at the items. The helmet had quite the beating on it, but it was still in fairly good condition. According to the design on it, it must have belonged to a Rebellion fighter pilot.

Rey draped the dirty orange and white fabric over the helmet and began to wonder what kind of life the pilot had before their demise. Maybe they had a family, maybe they lost their family because of the Empire and that's why they joined the Rebellion. Maybe their family is still waiting for them to come back just like Rey is. At least Rey knows they will come back. She can't wait to show them the speeder she built, her family will be so proud.

Rey wasn't sure how long the sandstorm would last, but she didn't want to fall asleep just in case. Rey had to do something with her hands, so she grabbed the fabric and analyzed it. There wasn't enough to really make anything for her to wear, plus the bright orange might attract too much attention. Rey thought back to what the pilot must have looked like, they were most likely human. Rey decided to make a doll of what she thought the pilot looked like out of the fabric. The doll would be a reminder of her first adventure out there.

Rey wondered what it must feel like to pilot a spaceship. If it would be as easy as figuring out how to ride a speeder. Maybe her own family would come back with a ship of their own, and Rey could fly it. Rey would fly it to another planet, one with water so she could know what it feels like the swim in something other than sand. One without sandstorms that wouldn't prevent her from going anywhere.

It wasn't much of a doll considering the materials she had. The wind started to die down, and more light began to shine through the holes, and now Rey could take a good look at the doll. She hugged it and placed in in the pouch on her belt and headed outside.

Rey had been there longer than she thought, and the position of the sun indicated that it would be dark soon. Even if she left right away, the concession stand would be closed once it gets dark. Rey looks between her speeder and the AT-AT, staying here seemed like a better idea than going back. Rey could find some more parts from the AT-AT and get double the portions tomorrow. Rey moved her speeder in a more hidden spot, and headed back inside.

* * *

 **Yeah, I know in the film there's the wall of marks for each day Rey's been since her family left, which would indicate that she's been in the AT-AT since her family left, but this is just fanfiction and I wanted to write about the doll so this setting just seemed right.**


End file.
